1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a method for printing a carrier material, whereby a printing drum with a plurality of depressions arranged on the surface of the printing drum for the acceptance of printing fluid turns around its longitudinal axis during a printing event. With the assistance of an inking station, printing fluid is introduced during the printing event into all depressions that move past the inking station. At a transfer printing location, the printing fluid contained in some of the depressions moving past the transfer printing location is employed for printing the carrier material. The printing fluid in the other depressions moving past the transfer printing location remains in the depressions.
2. Description of the Related Art
European Letters Patent EP 0 756 544 B1 discloses a thermoelectric printing unit for the transfer of an ink onto a recording medium. An inking station, a transfer printing station and a cleaning station are arranged around a printing drum having a plurality of depressions for the acceptance of ink. Only the inking station and the transfer printing station are in operation during the printing event. The depressions proceed to the inking station after they have passed by the transfer printing station. Printing fluid is re-introduced into the emptied depressions at the inking station. The cleaning station is actuated only after the end of the printing event. German Patent Document DE 295 07 416 U1, discloses a rotogravure unit wherein a rotogravure printing cylinder has ink-accepting depressions at image locations and no such depressions at non-imaging locations. The depressions are filled with ink at an inking station. This ink is transferred onto a rubber cylinder for later transfer onto paper. Subsequently, the ink residues are washed from the depressions of the image locations on the rotogravure printing cylinder with the assistance of a water jet and are thus removed.
German Patent Document DE 195 44 099 A1 discloses a thermographic printer device wherein a glass cylinder has a cup structure on its generated surface, the cups thereof being filled with ink. The ink in the cups is solidified with the assistance of a cooling device. In a printing zone, the ink in selected cups is melted with the assistance of laser light dependent on the image structure to be printed and is transferred onto paper. A doctor blade strips the residues of the ink from the surface of the inking cylinder, the cups thereof being subsequently re-filled with ink.
German Patent Document DE 195 03 951 A1 discloses a rotogravure method, whereby a rotogravure printing cylinder is filled with ink in depressions at imaging locations, said ink being directly printed onto a carrier material. After the printing event, the specific depressions are cleaned of ink residues and re-filled with ink for a further printing event.
German Patent Document DE 16 11 272 C2, further, discloses an offset rotary printing press that has a printing cylinder on whose generated surface a planographic form is chucked. This planographic form accepts ink in depressions that correspond to image locations to be inked, the ink being supplied via an ink application roller. The ink that is not picked up by the printing cylinder is removed from the ink application roller and is supplied to the ink circulation.